It looks like Sen. Jean White might be following in her husband’s footsteps as the “only Republican to vote for (fill in the blank.)”

White joined the Senate’s 20 Democrats this morning in confirming the appointment of former union boss Ellen Golombek to head the state Department of Labor and Employment.

“In my conversations with her and in her testimony in committee she answered all of the questions to my satisfaction,” White said later today.

The other 14 Republicans voted “no.” Those who spoke against the appointment said Golombek failed to answer their questions in committee this week and testified against the appointment of Republican Gov. Bill Owens’ labor nominee in 1999. They also said her union background was a concern.

Two Republican lawmakers today voted against sending the name of former labor boss Ellen Golombek to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation.

But Golombek easily survived the questioning, which some Democrats in the audience later said wasn’t as intense as expected.

“Let me begin as your governor begins, with jobs, jobs, jobs,” Golombek said in her opening remarks to a Senate committee.

Sens. Shawn Mitchell, of Broomfield, said a number of businesses questioned why Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed her to oversee the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment considering her past activities with labor and progressive politics.

Mitchell pointed to a Westword 1999 article where Golombek was quoted as saying limiting costs for businesses for workers compensation was akin to “corporate welfare.”

Golombek said she didn’t remember the article, but she pledged to work with all sides and to follow the laws of Colorado.

A former union leader whose appointment to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s cabinet brought howls from some Republicans is scheduled for a confirmation hearing Monday.

Ellen Golombek, the new head of the Department of Labor and Employment, will appear before a Senate committee for questioning. So will Kathy Nesbitt, director of the Department of Personnel and Administration.

Golombek isn’t the first labor department appointee to get grief from the minority party. The same thing happened in 1999 when the Senate confirmed former Rep. Vickie Armstrong as Gov. Bill Owens’ labor chief.

Golombek, of Denver, worked for 14 years with the Service Employees International Union and Colorado AFL-CIO, including serving as the first female president of the Colorado AFL-CIO in 2000.

“(Hickenlooper’s) selection of a noted progressive activist and union boss in Ms. Golombek certainly will raise plenty of eyebrows in Colorado’s business community — and for good reason,” Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, said when she was tapped.

But Hickenlooper is a Democrat and Democrats hold a 20-15 majority in the Senate, so her confirmation is not in doubt.

Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper today named the current Republican head of one of the most powerful Western Slope organizations as his new director of local affairs, and he tapped a Democratic former union president to be his labor director.

Hickenlooper, a Democrat, named Reeves Brown to head the Department of Local Affairs. Brown is now the executive director of Club 20, a mostly conservative organization that represents 22 western Colorado counties.

“Reeves Brown cares passionately about good government and he cares passionately about the state of Colorado,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “His naturally collaborative approach will help set the tenure of our administration.”

Raised on a cattle ranch in Montana, Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business from Montana State University. He has worked for the National Cattleman’s Association and the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association.

The Department of Local Affairs administers a number of grants and programs that assist cities and counties in areas ranging from emergency management to property tax administration to homelessness and affordable housing.

Meanwhile, Hickenlooper named Ellen Golombek as his pick to head the Department of Labor and Employment.

Golombek is now the Colorado director for America Votes, a group backed by liberal and labor organizations aimed at increasing voter registration and turnout. Previously, Golombek worked for 14 years with the Service Employees International Union and Colorado AFL-CIO, including serving as the first woman president of the Colorado AFL-CIO in 2000.

“Ellen is a proven strategic thinker who has a collaborative work-style and extensive experience working with the labor and business communities,” Hickenlooper said. “Her work and the work of the Department of Labor and Employment will play a key role in our effort to support those looking for or creating jobs.”

Golombek also worked for Planned Parenthood in Washington, D.C., and New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in labor studies from Antioch University.

The Department of Labor and Employment helps job seekers and businesses with wage and employment issues and keeps state labor statistics. It also administers the state’s unemployment insurance and worker’s compensation programs.

Labor guru Ellen Golombek is coming back to Colorado to serve as the state director for America Votes.

She will be one of 10 field directors working in 14 battleground states for America Votes, a coalition of the largest progressive groups in the country.

“Ellen is one of the best political minds we ever had in Colorado,” said America Votes President Joan Fitz-Gerald.

The two women have known each other since 2000, when Golombek, who worked 10 years for the Colorado AFL-CIO, helped Democrats take control of the state Senate for first time since 1962. Fitz-Gerald, who was running for the Senate that year, went on to become Senate president.

“Ellen is a very politically sophisticated,” said Fitz-Gerald, who now works in Washington. “She knows how to count votes and how territory is covered.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.